Key-holding attachment for key cases

ABSTRACT

The keyholders to which the key hooks are attached each consist of a single piece of metal bent to form a pivotal body provided with a slot starting at the free end of the body and extending up the back thereof so that no portion thereof is observable at the front of the holder. The metal piece is also bent to form an inner spring finger, the free end of which coacts with the upper rear portion of the slot to control the insertion and removal of the key hook.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Charles W. Elsenheimer Meriden, Conn. [2]] Appl. No. 791,355 [22] Filed Jan. 15, I969 [45] Patented Aug. [0, 1971 [73} Assignee Prentice Corporation Kensiugton, Conn.

[54] KEYJ-IOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR KEY CASES 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 70/456 B [S l] Int. Cl i A44b 15/00 [50] Field of Search 70/456 A, 456 B, 457, 458, 459; 150/40 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,829,232 10/1931 Morehouse 24/237 4/1880 Birch 4, t 70/458 1,025,520 5/l9l2 Douglass 224/5 3,379,041 4/1968 Hanna 70/456 Primary Examiner-lan A. Calvert Assistant Examiner- Robert L. Wolfe Attorneys-Sylvester J. Liddy, John J. Hart, Joe E. Daniels and Charles E. Baxley Patented Aug. 10, 1971 FIG.

FIG. 5

INVEN TOR.

CAMLES 1M ELSENHE/IHER A T TORNE r FIG. 4

FIG. 5

KEY-HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR KEY CASES THE INVENTION This invention relates to keyholders of the type which are may be attached a keyholder that lends itself readily to the production of novel and attractive design effects not capable of being produced by prior keyholders.

Other objects of the invention, as well as the advantages thereof, will become apparent from a perusal of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings,'in which FIG. I is a partial, front elevational, perspective view of an open key case provided with a key-holding attachment embodying the invention; 7

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a thin metal blank from which the keyholder is made;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view ofa keyholder made in accordance with the invention from the blank of FIG. 2, a partial view ofa key hook being shown in such figure;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the holder shown in FIGS. I and 3 with a key hook depending therefrom; a design effect being indicated in such view for the purposes of illustration;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the holder; and

FIG. 6 is a bottom end view of the holder; with the body of the key hook eliminated for the sake of clearness.

In FIG. I of the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates generally a type of key case construction that'is in common use in the art and in which a keyholder attachment 11 embodying this invention is incorporated. The attachment II comprises a backplate 12 which seats on the interior surface of the body member 13 of the case and which is secured thereto in any suitable fashion, as by the two rivets 14, 14. The backplate 12 has integrally formed therewith two end arms or brackets 15, 15 which are disposed at right angles to the body of plate 12 and which extend forwardly and upwardly from the plate 12 so that the upper end portions l6, 16 thereof are located substantially above the top edge of the body of the plate 12, as is indicated in FIG. I of the drawings. Provided in the upper portions l6, 16 of the brackets are aligned openings which receive the reduced ends of an axle member 17. The enlarged body portion of the axle member 17 which extends from one bracket 15 to the other, has pivotally mounted thereon a plurality of keyholders, each of which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 20.

As is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, each of the keyhol ders 20 is made from a blank 21 constituted of a thin plate of spring metal such as spring carbon steel. The blank 21 has a width equal to the width of the keyholder to be made therefrom. It will be observable from a consideration of FIGS. 2 and 3 that the length of the blank or plate 21 is such that it may be bent transversely to form the successive portions or sections which constitute the complete construction of a keyholder. Thus, as is indicated in FIG. 2 by dotted lines, in forming the keyholder, the blank 21 is bent to form, starting from the top thereof, a rear body side 22, a bottom portion 23, a front body side 24, a top portion and a blocking member 26. It will be noted that in the upper portion of the rear body side or wall 22 of the keyholder there is formed the enlarged upper end portion of an elongated slot 3] which extends downwardly from such enlarged portion 30 and longitudinally of the plate 21, through such rear wall 22 and into the bottom side or wall 23 ofthe keyholder. The lower end portion of the slot 31 terminates at approximately the midpoint of the bot tom. wall 23 as is indicated by the broken line designated 32-32 in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 ofthe drawings. In other words, the

slot 31, in its entirety, is located within the combined areas of the rear wall 22 and the bottom wall 23 of the holder. Thus, while the slot 31 may be observed in the rear wall 22 and bottom wall 23 of the keyholder, it cannot be seen when looking at the front wall 24 of the holder. Accordingly, when the holder is in dependent position in a casing it presents to the view of an observer, as is shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, a plane front surface that is unbroken by a slot and having a simple attractive appearance. This appearance of the front wall 24 may be enhanced by providing thereon colored decorative designs, numbers, motifs, jewelry, etc., as is indicated in FIG. 4 for example, by the diamond setting designated 35.

It will be noted from FIG. 2, that the sections 22, 23 and 24 of the blank 21 have been bent into a U-shape to form a body for the holder which is substantially teardrop-shaped in section. Such holder body is dependent from the front edge of the top section 25, which section is substantially circular in configuration. The interior diameter of the circular or annular top section 25 is greater than the exterior diameter of the body of the axle member 17 to enable the holder to pivot freely on such axle member and to permit the blocking member 26 to have a given range of movement, as will hereinafter become more clear. Integral with the rear edge 27 of the top section 25 and depending therefrom at an angle of approximately 20 from the vertical is the blocking member 26. It will be noted that because such rear edge 27 of the top section 25 is a free edge or not fixed to the body of the holder, and because the member 26 extends the entire width of such edge and of the holder, and due to the stiffness of the metal material of the blank, the rear portion 28 of such top section 25 and such member 26 together function as a spring finger that is relatively rigid throughout the length of such member 26 and into such rear portion 28, and that yieldingly moves as a whole inwardly under applied pressure with such top section as a fulcrum. The lower end portion 29 of the member 26 is bent in wardly at an angle of approximately 45 from the body of such member 26 so that it is disposed at an angle to the inner surface of the rear wall 22 of the holder. The length of member 26 is such that such offset end portion 29 thereof extends across the juncture of the upper end of the reduced part of slot 31 with the enlarged portion 30 thereof, as is shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The spring member comprising such member 26 is normally biased so that such member 26 presses against the inner surface of the rear wall 22 on the line of bend 33 formed at the upper end of the offset end portion 29. The member 26 is so formed that the only contact the member 26 makes with the rear wall 22 is along such line of bend 33 (note FIG. 3). The spring member is moved inwardly away from the rear wall 22 when the head 36 of a key book 37 is placed on the offset and portion 29 of the spring member and forced inwardly toward the end of the keyholder 20. It will be noted that the outer surface 38 of the key hook head 36 is relatively flat and that the body of such head is tapered. These features of the key hook head facilitate the said placement and operation of the key hook with respect to the offset end portion 29; such operation due tothe taper of the head, taking place with a camming action as the key hook is forced over portion 29.

It will be understood from the foregoing that when a key book 37 is to be secured to a holder 20, the outer edge of the head 36 is inserted into the inner end of the enlarged portion 30 of the slot 3I so that it enters into the space between the rear wall 22 and the inclined offset end portion 29 in such region, and is then forced with a pressing, camming action toward the free end of such offset end portion 29. Due to the stiffness or rigidity of the metal of which the holder is constituted, the body thereof will remain substantially unchanged. Because of the inherent resilience however, of such metal, the spring finger formed by the member 26 and the rear portion 28 of the top section 25 will move inwardly until the axle member 17 becomes clamped between the two sides of such top section 25 and prevents any further inward movement of such rear portion 28. This range of movement of the rear portion 28, however, is sufficicnt to permit the key hook head 36 to enter into the holder When it is desired to remove a key hook, the head 36'thereof is inserted in the space between the rear wall 22 and the offset end portion and by application of a reverse force the key hook is readily separated from the holder.

While I have hereinabove described and illustrated in the drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is intended to cover any modifications thereof coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A holder for a key hook in a keyholder attachment constituted of a single piece of metal plate of a given length and appreciable width, said piece being bent upon itself to have two bends intermediate the ends thereof and to have one end overlapping its other end to define a loop, the two overlapping piece ends being on one side of such loop and the central body section of the piece forming the other side of such loop, the upper one of said bends comprising, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop adapted to receive a mounting element therethrough and to pivotally mount the holder on said element, the other lower bend comprising a support for a key hook, said piece having a key hook slot formed therein extending upwardly from said other bend to the part of said one piece end overlapping said other piece end and there having an enlarged opening to receive a key hook head, said other overlapped end depending from said upper-element-receiving loop so as to normally block the passage of a key hook head through said enlarged opening and being overlapped for the major portion of its length by said one overlapping end, said other overlapped end being bent inwardly of said holder so that a key hook head located in said lower bend can catch under the inwardly bent portion of said overlapped end and be forced upwardly between such bent portion and said one over lapping end and by a camming action of the key hook head on said bent portion during such upward movement ofthe former move said one overlapping end inwardly to unblock said enlarged slot opening to permit the removal of the key hook head therethrough.

2. A holder as defined in claim 1, in which said bent portion is bent inwardly in the area defined by said enlarged opening so that as a key hook head is inserted through such opening it will engage said bent portion and by a camming action therebetween under the inserting force exerted on the key hook move said one overlapping end inwardly to permit the insertion of the key hook head through such enlarged opening and into the lower bend ofthe holderi 3. A holder as defined in claim 2, in which said inwardly bent portion is bent inwardly at an angle to provide a transverse line of bend on said other overlapped end, said other overlapped end normally contacting the interior surface of said overlapping one piece only along said line of bend thereof and such line of bend extending transversely across such enlarged slot openings 4. A holder as defined in claim I, in which the central body section of the piece constitutes the front of the holder and said two overlapping piece ends form the rear of the holder, and in which the lower end of said slot terminates in said lower end so that said central body section ofthe piece forming the front of the holder is uninterrupted by said slot and provides a substantially continuous front wall.

zigz g? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,597,950 Dated August 10, 1971 Inventor(s) Charles W. Elsenheimer It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 4 line 26, after "said" second occurrence,

- -other-- -should be inserted.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of March 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOI'TSCHALK Abtesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A holder for a key hook in a keyholder attachment constituted of a single piece of metal plate of a given length and appreciable width, said piece being bent upon itself to have two bends intermediate the ends thereof and to have one end overlapping its other end to define a loop, the two overlapping piece ends being on one side of such loop and the central body section of the piece forming the other side of such loop, the upper one of said bends comprising, in cross section, an at least partially closed loop adapted to receive a mounting element therethrough and to pivotally mount the holder on said element, the other lower bend comprising a support for a key hook, said piece having a key hook slot formed therein extending upwardly from said other bend to the part of said one piece end overlapping said other piece end and there having an enlarged opening to receive a key hook head, said other overlapped end depending from said upper-element-receiving loop so as to normally block the passage of a key hook head through said enlarged opening and being overlapped for the major portion of its length by said one overlapping end, said other overlapped end being bent inwardly of said holder so that a key hook head located in said lower bend can catch under the inwardly bent portion of said overlapped end and be forced upwardly between such bent portion and said one overlapping end and by a camming action of the key hook head on said bent portion during such upward movement of the former move said one overlapping end inwardly to unblock said enlarged slot opening to permit the removal of the key hook head therethrough.
 2. A holder as defined in claim 1, in which said bent portion is bent inwardly in the area defined by said enlarged opening so that as a key hook head is inserted through such opening it will engage said bent portion and by a camming action therebetween under the inserting force exerted on the key hook move said one overlapping end inwardly to permit the insertion of the key hook head through such enlarged opening and into the lower bend of the holder.
 3. A holder as defined in cLaim 2, in which said inwardly bent portion is bent inwardly at an angle to provide a transverse line of bend on said other overlapped end, said other overlapped end normally contacting the interior surface of said overlapping one piece only along said line of bend thereof and such line of bend extending transversely across such enlarged slot opening.
 4. A holder as defined in claim 1, in which the central body section of the piece constitutes the front of the holder and said two overlapping piece ends form the rear of the holder, and in which the lower end of said slot terminates in said other lower end so that said central body section of the piece forming the front of the holder is uninterrupted by said slot and provides a substantially continuous front wall. 